Book Review: Checked Out for Murder by Allison Brook
- Kristen Lewendon
- Sep 9, 2020
- 2 min read
The Haunted Library Mysteries Book 4
Carrie Singleton and Evelyn the ghost sleuth the slayings of a starlet and a star-crossed psychic in Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook's fourth Haunted Library mystery.
Daphne Marriott strolls into Clover Ridge and informs librarian Carrie Singleton that she's a psychic. But had she foreseen what fate awaited her, Daphne would have steered clear of the quaint Connecticut town. Evelyn, the library ghost, tells Carrie that there's more to Daphne than she lets on.
The mysterious woman grew up in Clover Ridge with her no-good dad, who apparently met his end at the hands of Daphne's brother, Billy. Still, Daphne proves a welcome distraction when Carrie's overbearing mother hits town. Mom's much younger husband, Tom, is in a movie that's lensing locally, and she's there to keep an eye on him: Tom's costar, sultry Ilana Reingold, is also his ex-fiancée, and there's no denying the chemistry is still there. Soon after mingling with the moviemakers at a meet-and-greet, Daphne is found dead.
Carrie and Evelyn investigate, assisted by bushy-tailed library cat Smoky Joe. But the suspect list could overflow the library shelves. Has Billy killed another relative? Is their long-missing mother involved? Or Daphne's mean ex-husband? Carrie's sure she knows who committed the crime, but can she bind together the clues before the culprit Dewey-decimates the town?
My Review:
This book combines several of my favorite things: libraries, cats, and a behind-the-scenes look at the entertainment industry, mixing it with some sinister intrigue. While I enjoyed this book, I noticed that I experienced some of the same things that I didn’t have as much fun with in the previous books. I found the book to be paced kind of slowly with lots of details about Carrie’s daily routine. Though it is a noticeable improvement over the last book. I also wonder why this series needs to be set in a library. There doesn’t seem to be very many library-like activities that take place in the building. This was another mystery where the villain wasn’t a surprise to me. I didn’t have a clue as to the hows or the whys, but there was something that just set this character apart. It might have had something to do with the fact that this was the one character with the least amount of page time out of the whole quirky cast. I found that oversight to be highly suspicious to my deeply untrusting mind. But, as I said, I didn’t know the hows or the whys behind the villain’s dastardly deeds, so it was interesting to watch Carrie and Dylan untangle the few clues they had. I really liked seeing that Carrie is growing into a strong independent young woman and that she’s now taking more precautions with her personal safety. Even though there were some things that weren’t quite right for me, I look forward to reading more about Carrie, her friends, family, and co-workers. And Smokey Joe.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through NetGalley.
Other books in the series:
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